KR102387695B1 - Vehicle suspension - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle suspension is an assembly of a hub carrier and a support arm, the support arm being attached to the hub carrier at two points spaced apart from each other in a direction of travel and extending inwardly from the hub carrier to a support arm attachment point for fixation to a chassis. an assembly of the carrier and support arm, and a trailing link extending from the assembly toward a trailing link attachment point for securing to the chassis in a direction transverse to the direction of the support arm. The trailing link preferably extends in a forward direction from the assembly and is preferably connected directly to the hub carrier. A strut may extend upwardly towards an attachment point for anchoring to the chassis to provide a spring and a damper. The support arm may include a pair of arms extending divergently from the point of attachment to each of the two points. A toe control link connecting the hub carrier to the chassis to provide geometric control under high load conditions extends generally parallel to, but spaced from, the rear arm. The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising a chassis and at least two wheels, one on each side of the vehicle, each wheel being attached to the chassis via such a suspension.

Description

Vehicle Suspension{VEHICLE SUSPENSION}

The present invention relates to a suspension for a vehicle.

Vehicles require a suspension system to maintain contact of the wheels with the surface on which the vehicle is traveling and to protect the body from at least some of the undulations in such surfaces. The former requirements are necessary to ensure safe and effective handling of the vehicle, and the latter are necessary to provide the necessary level of ride comfort. In general, these two requirements work in opposite directions, so the suspension system is a compromise between the two. Various suspension systems are known.

MacPherson strut suspensions, often used for front suspensions, include wishbones or substantial compression links stabilized by auxiliary links that provide a bottom mounting point for the wheel hubs or axles. This lower arm system provides both lateral and longitudinal positions of the wheel. The upper portion of the hub is rigidly fixed to an inner portion of a sprung and damped strut, which extends directly upwards to a mounting in the vehicle's body shell.

The double wishbone suspension positions the wheels through the use of two (upper and lower) arms, each in the shape of an “A” or wishbone. Each arm has two mounting points on the chassis and one joint of the knuckle. A shock absorber and coil spring are mounted on the wishbone to control the vertical motion. The double wishbone design allows engineers to carefully control the motion of the wheels throughout suspension travel, allowing parameters such as camber angle, caster angle, toe pattern, roll center height, scrub radius, scuff and many more. allow to control

Multi-link suspensions use three or more lateral arms in conjunction with one or more longitudinal arms to confine and constrain motion of the wheel hub. These arms need not be of the same length and may be angled away from their 'obvious' direction. Typically, each arm has a spherical joint (ball joint) or rubber bushing at each end, and thus responds to loads along their own length in tension and compression rather than bending. Some multi-links also use a trailing arm or wishbone with two bushings at one end.

All have relative advantages and disadvantages, and typically exhibit variations in the level of ride comfort or handling achievable relative to the cost and complexity of the system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention seeks to provide a suspension system for a vehicle that provides a level of ride comfort and/or handling that meets or exceeds currently established requirements, while using significantly fewer parts.

Such a reduction in the number of parts provides great advantages in use. Of course, the immediate benefit lies in the cost of the system, in that the final assembly cost is directly reduced if fewer parts need to be manufactured and assembled. However, other benefits also result from the reduced number of parts, in that the level of parts inventory required of the assembler and the seller is reduced, the material usage is reduced, the weight of the system and vehicle is reduced, and the like. In addition to reducing the manufacturing cost of the vehicle, these factors directly contribute to the reduction of the vehicle's maintenance cost, service cost, and environmental impact in terms of the vehicle's fuel consumption.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an assembly of a hub carrier and a support arm, wherein the support arm is attached to the hub carrier at two points spaced apart from each other in the direction of movement and extends inwardly from the hub carrier to the support arm attachment point for fixation to the chassis. , an assembly of the hub carrier and support arm, a trailing link extending from the assembly toward a trailing link attachment point for securing to the chassis in a direction transverse to the direction of the support arm, and at a position vertically spaced from the two points. A vehicle suspension is provided that includes a toe control link attached to a hub carrier and extending inwardly from the hub carrier to an attachment point for securing to a chassis.

The trailing link preferably extends in a forward direction from the assembly, thereby placing the trailing link in tension, reducing the likelihood that the trailing link will buckle, thus having a smaller weight and less material in its manufacture. Allows thinner items using The trailing link is preferably connected directly to the hub carrier.

In order to provide the necessary vertical positioning of the suspension, in conjunction with (preferably) conventional springs and dampers, struts may be provided which extend upwardly towards the attachment point for fixation to the chassis.

The toe control link is attached to the hub carrier at a point ideally positioned outward of the two points where the support arm attaches to the hub carrier. Likewise, Applicants prefer that the single attachment point at which the toe control link is attachable to the chassis is positioned inward of the support arm attachment point at which the support arm is attachable to the chassis.

The support arm may include a pair of arms extending divergently from the point of attachment to each of the two points. Of these two arms, one is preferably shorter than the toe control link. It is in fact a wishbone configuration, but is mounted in an orientation opposite to the normal orientation. The fixation of the support arm attachment points is preferably a fixation allowing movement of the support arm relative to the chassis in all directions, for example a fixation in which the support arm is mounted to the chassis via a cylindrical section mounted on a stud via a rubber bushing. am.

The hub carrier may include a pivot pin extending forward/rear aligned, the pivot pin passing through two pivot points on the support arm and defining two points. The appropriate end of the pivot pin then provides a convenient location for attaching the trailing link to the hub carrier. Such an arrangement is shown in the Applicant's prior patent application WO2010/100412. Alternatively, a ball joint may be used to connect each of the two arms of the support arm to the hub carrier.

The hub carrier preferably supports an axle which can be driven via a drive shaft extending from the engine or from a suitable differential or other gearbox. A wheel may be installed on the axle.

The toe control link provides additional dynamical geometric control, especially under high load conditions, such as those often required in sports cars or high performance automobiles.

The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising a chassis and at least two wheels, one on each side of the vehicle, each wheel being attached to the chassis via a suspension as defined above.

This type of design is particularly advantageous for vehicles with narrow tracks as it allows the suspension to be packaged within a very narrow range. This also allows the suspension to be rear-engined or mid-engined powertrain installations (lateral It is especially suitable for vehicles with both directional and in-line types). Most designers try to package the suspension, drive shaft and powertrain within the available space, and have to employ complex press-formed metal suspensions.

In this application, referenced directions or orientations are intended to be interpreted with respect to a vehicle on which the suspension is mounted or on which it is intended. Thus, a "forward" ("forward" or "fore") direction means a direction toward the front of the vehicle, and the "rearwards" or "aft" direction is intended to be interpreted likewise. Similarly, a direction such as “inward” refers to a direction toward the centerline of the vehicle, and “outwards” refers to the opposite direction. Strict geometrical alignment is not intended to be implied (unless otherwise indicated); Thus, the "forward" direction is not necessarily limited to a direction precisely aligned with the direction of movement of the vehicle, but refers to a forward direction as opposed to a rearward or inward direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 shows a perspective view of a suspension system;
2 shows a view of the suspension system from above;
3 shows a view of the suspension system from the rear;
4 shows a view of the rear part of a vehicle on which the suspension system of the invention is installed;

Modern lightweight, efficient and compact city cars require independent lightweight rear suspension with good camber and toe control. For packaging reasons, Applicants also need a suspension that allows for close installation of the rear transversely mounted engine and transmission unit. It is common to use a trailing arm, semi-trailing arm, De-Dion or semi-de-Dion type suspension. However, they are very heavy, expensive and provide very poor control of camber and toe control at the tire contact patch. In many cases, they do not provide independence from side to side. Applicants sought to design a system that provides all the advantages of a conventional MacPherson strut system with the added benefit of separating the transverse compliance from the longitudinal compliance much more effectively.

1 shows an embodiment of the invention shown in the form of wheels and associated suspensions separated from the vehicle chassis to which they will be attached during use;

Accordingly, the wheel 10 including the tire 12 installed on the rim 14 is bolted to the wheel hub 16 . It is attached to the axle and the assembly is rotatably supported on a hub carrier (20). A drive shaft 21 runs from the differential to the axle 18 to transmit drive torque to the wheels 10 and propel the vehicle.

The hub carrier 20 includes mounts for the axle 18 and the hub 16 including suitable bearings (not shown) to allow rotation thereof, and extending inwardly therefrom for the hub carrier 20 and suspension elements. It includes a set of reinforcing flanges that provide rigidity to the mounting point. An upper flange 22 extends from the upper edge of the hub carrier 20 , together with a lower flange 27 and two side flanges in the form of a front side flange 24 and a rear side flange 26 . To these flanges are connected the main suspension components as follows.

First, the reverse wishbone 28 provides lateral compliance to the system. This is contrary to normal use where there is a single attachment point 30 to the chassis from which the two wishbone arms 32 and 34 (respectively) attach to each side flange of the hub carrier 20 ( 24 and 26 are inverted in that they extend to a front attachment point 36 and a rear attachment point 38 on the lower flange 27, close to their junction. Each attachment point 30 is made through a ball joint, allowing proper articulation of the joint.

An alternative configuration for the front and rear attachment points is a rod passing through openings in the side flanges 24 , 26 and corresponding cylindrical sections at the ends of the wishbone arms 32 , 34 . Thus, wishbone arms 32 and 34 are secured on rod 40 to allow the necessary relative rotation as the wheel raises and lowers. Such an arrangement is shown in the applicant's earlier application WO2010/100412.

A similar ball joint oriented vertically to allow some degree of forward/rear adjustability is included in the chassis attachment point 30 . It is mounted on suitable studs 42 (not shown in FIG. 1 ) or the like on the chassis, via rubber bushings 44 to allow limited movement of wishbone arms 28 in all directions.

Trailing links 46 are also provided to provide front and rear compliance. It is connected to the chassis by horizontally-aligned cylindrical links 48 that are mounted on similar studs through rubber bushings 52 . This allows for easy rotation of the trailing link 46 in a vertical plane as the wheel 10 raises and lowers, and also allows some degree of movement in other directions to accommodate the suspension geometry.

At its other end, a trailing link 46 is attached to the front end of the lower flange 27 via another ball joint. Alternatively, the trailing arm can be connected as shown in the applicant's application WO2010/100412.

The third main suspension element is a strut 60 . It attaches to the chassis via an upper mount 62 and to the hub carrier 20 via a bracket 64 that is clamped to the lower end of the strut 60 and bolted to the front side flange 24 in two places. It is a conventional spring and damper unit. Thus, the struts maintain the hub carrier in a generally upright alignment, provide a downward force to the wheel 10 to maintain wheel-ground contact, and provide damping of the upward and downward motion of the wheel 10 .

Finally, a toe control link 66 is provided. This is a rigid rod extending generally parallel to but upwardly spaced from the rear wishbone arm 34 , from the hub carrier 20 to a chassis hard point (not shown). Connections are made at both ends through a ball joint or a conventional bush 70 that allows a certain degree of joint movement of each connection part. These links 66 further constrain the motion of the hub carrier 26 in a manner governed by the wishbones 28 and struts 60 , thereby improving dynamic geometry control under high load conditions. It does not affect the geometry under low load conditions, but it prevents over-distortion under high loads by providing additional support and stiffness, ensuring that the geometry is maintained correctly.

3 shows the system from one side. Wheel 10 is schematically shown mounted on hub 16 . An inverted wishbone 28 is shown attached to a rod 40, which can be viewed as angled upwards towards the front of the vehicle. Likewise, the trailing arm 46 rests at an angle downward from its chassis mount 50 to the U-section bracket 54 on the rod 40 . The struts are angled slightly forward and the upper mount 62 is slightly forward of the bracket 64 . These angles and orientations can be adjusted in the design of the suspension system to provide the desired handling characteristics.

FIG. 2 shows the system from above, illustrating a slightly forward angle of the strut 60 , with the upper mount 62 slightly forward of the bracket 64 . The rear wishbone arm 34 is shorter than the front arm 32, meaning that the point of attachment 30 to the chassis is at the rear of the wheel centerline. This allows space for the drive shaft 21 to pass through the front of the attachment point 30 and over the forward wishbone arm 32 to reach the wheel hub 16 .

3 shows the system from the rear, with the drive shaft 21 passing over the inverted wishbone 28 . It can be seen that the attachment point 38 for the rear wishbone arm 34 is slightly lower than the attachment point 36 for the anterior arm 32 . These and other angles and orientations may, of course, be adjusted in the design of the suspension system to provide the desired handling characteristics.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the toe control link 66 is longer than the front wishbone arm 32 and the rear wishbone arm 34 , respectively. The chassis hard point attached through the bush 70 is positioned inward of the chassis attachment point for the wishbone 28 ; Likewise, the attachment points with the hub 16 are located outward of the attachment points for the front wishbone arm 32 and the rear wishbone arm 34, respectively. These lengths and mounting points influence the motion of the suspension under load and help to provide the benefits described above.

Figure 4 shows a schematic view from the rear of a small town car equipped with the aforementioned suspension system; The chassis 72 provides the necessary mounting points and houses the engine and gearbox 74 . A pair of drive shafts 21 project outwardly in both directions from the gearbox 74 toward the wheel hub 16 on both sides of the vehicle. One wheel 10 is mounted on each wheel hub 16 , each wheel including an inverted wishbone 28 , a strut 60 , and a trailing arm (not shown in FIG. 4 ). supported by a suspension system as described above.

As is apparent from FIG. 4 , the illustrated system is designed to meet the needs of the rear wheels of a rear engined rear wheel drive configuration. However, it can be applied to other configurations, such as driven or non-driven wheels in a front-wheel drive (or other) layout.

This 'reverse wishbone' system not only provides the driving and handling advantages of an independent suspension system, but is also designed as a two-part linkage (trailing links (46) in addition to the reverse wishbones (28)) to increase driving and comfort. Allows separation of front and rear compliance for vehicle handling and lateral compliance for vehicle handling control (camber and toe control). With the strut 60 and toe control arm 66, the overall system is extremely lightweight and has a low manufacturing cost because it includes only three links per vehicle side and only four compliant elements per vehicle side. .

The described system also requires only a few attachment points to the chassis, allowing them to be spaced far enough from the drive shaft. This makes the system particularly suitable for compact and efficient town cars where component space is limited and the wheels can be mounted close to the engine, gearbox, etc.

Of course, it will be understood that many modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (19)

vehicle suspension,
An assembly of a hub carrier and a support arm, the support arm attached to the hub carrier at two points spaced apart from each other in a direction of movement and extending inwardly from the hub carrier to a support arm attachment point for securing to the chassis; an assembly of support arms, a trailing link extending from the assembly toward a trailing link attachment point for fixation to a chassis in a direction transverse to the direction of the support arm, and a hub in a single location spaced vertically from the two points. a toe control link attached to the carrier and extending inwardly from the hub carrier to a single point of attachment for securing to the chassis;
wherein the single location at which the toe control link is attached to the hub carrier is located outward of the two points at which the support arm is attached to the hub carrier. According to claim 1,
wherein the trailing link extends in a forward direction from the assembly. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
and a strut extending upwardly toward an attachment point for securing to the chassis. 4. The method of claim 3,
The strut holds the spring, the vehicle's suspension. 4. The method of claim 3,
The strut holds the shock absorber, the vehicle suspension. delete 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
and the single attachment point at which a toe control link is attachable to a chassis is located inwardly of the support arm attachment point at which a support arm is attachable to the chassis. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
wherein the support arm includes a pair of arms extending divergently from the attachment point to each of the two points. 9. The method of claim 8,
and the toe control link is longer than at least one arm of the pair of arms. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The hub carrier includes a pivot pin extending in front/rear alignment, the pivot pin passing through two pivot points on the support arm to define the two points. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
wherein the fixation of the support arm attachment point is a fixation that allows movement of the support arm relative to the chassis in all directions. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The support arm is mounted to the chassis through a cylindrical section that is mounted on a stud through a rubber bushing. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The trailing link is connected to the hub carrier, the vehicle suspension. 8. The method of claim 7,
The trailing link is connected to the end of the pivot pin, the vehicle suspension. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
A vehicle suspension, further comprising an axle supported by the hub carrier. 11. The method of claim 10,
The axle is the driven axle, the vehicle suspension. 12. The method of claim 11,
A vehicle suspension, further comprising a wheel installed on the axle. A vehicle comprising a chassis and at least two wheels, one on each side of the vehicle, each wheel being attached to the chassis via a suspension according to claim 10 . delete

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